Chapter Summaries

Kraun guarded the Iron Duke as a tentacled monster dragged Doug overboard, then arranged for the crew to be checked for contamination. After the ship reached Rhine City, Kraun reported the incident to the Security Bureau and returned to the church with Savachi.

• Kraun noticed that keeping Fugin beside him during visualization greatly increased his Beast Taming proficiency.
• Kraun ordered the night patrols to stay in pairs and away from the railing while the Iron Duke crossed the river.
• A black tentacle dragged Doug overboard, but Kraun and the crew rescued him with a rope and lamp.
• Kraun gave Doug Holy Water and Talisman Water, checked him for signs of danger, and made him discard his clothes.
• Kraun found that a short visualization session raised his Beast Taming proficiency by more than thirty points.
• The Iron Duke docked in Rhine City, where Kraun reported the monster's attack to Sir Gabriel Eddie and went with Savachi to report to the Cardinal.

Kraun learned more about the evil god’s influence and planned to make Molten Potion himself, while a creature hidden in Tom’s crate took control of him. The chapter ended with Kraun practicing the Golden Light Incantation with his pets.

• Fland told Kraun that his whispers in Lorent Town likely came from an evil god and urged him to grow stronger before Full Moon Night.
• Kraun promised to finish the weapons and shield, learned that Flame Fighters received only two Molten Potions a month, and asked to learn the potion formula from Eugene Robinson.
• Tom brought a crate home from the Iron Duke, where a blue-green creature attacked him and later left him with no memory of what had happened.
• Tom went to the Nightingale Tavern and spent the evening with Anna, surprising her with his newfound stamina.
• Kraun practiced the Golden Light Incantation with Fugin and the Black Cat, but found that having both pets present did not increase his Beast Taming gains.

Kraun delivered newly forged weapons to Fland, learned why the Church opposed firearms, and obtained potion recipes and ingredients from Eugene. As Kraun continued training and brewing Fire Potions, his Beast Taming skill advanced to the third tier.

• Kraun brought Fland a shield and a longsword, and Fland praised his forging before explaining that firearms were ineffective against Transcendentalists and evil gods.
• Kraun reflected on the Holy War, the fallen gods, and humanity's struggle to survive, then resolved to grow stronger and seek a new path.
• Kraun visited Eugene to obtain four third-tier potion recipes and arranged to take Molten Potion and Fire Potion ingredients.
• Kraun spent the following days training his Golden Light Incantation and making Fire Potions while waiting for his skill proficiency to improve.
• Kraun felt Beast Taming advance and saw that it had reached the third tier, granting him Transcendence Cultivation and Beast Eye.

Kraun formed Spirit Seeds in Fugin and Bastet and tested Beast Eye, while a Black Shadow’s ritual unleashed deadly creatures and Lucas revealed his growing devotion to a sinister Lord. The chapter ended with Lia planning to report Lucas for a mental-health check as he plotted to corrupt her and Lorraine.

• Kraun planted a Spirit Seed in Fugin, used Beast Eye to scout through the crow’s vision, and then planted a Spirit Seed in Bastet.
• Tom drank Holy Water for his worsening stomach pain, but eye-covered creatures burst from his abdomen and devoured him; similar creatures killed Anna and her roommate.
• A Black Shadow completed a ritual involving two bodies and an Obsidian Statue, then left the scene and vanished into an alley.
• Lucas greeted Lia and Lorraine with leering remarks, prompting Lia to suspect his mental state had deteriorated and decide to report him to the branch office.
• Lucas privately vowed to make Lia and Lorraine his and turn them into devoted followers of his Lord.

The Security Bureau investigated a massacre at the Nightingale Tavern and discovered that dozens of monsters had emerged from a pregnant woman. Kraun arrived as the Tier 3 Transcendent placed in charge, while Lia and Lorraine grew suspicious of Lucas.

• Lia briefed her squad on the tavern massacre, and Lucas objected to relying on Lorraine's costly ability.
• Lorraine found that a woman had given birth to at least twenty or thirty monsters, which had devoured her and fled.
• Lia warned Lorraine that she distrusted Lucas, and the three returned to the bureau without incident.
• Fland sent Kraun to command the response at the tavern, where he sensed faint malice upon entering.
• Kraun greeted Lia, and the squad stared in surprise at their former colleague's rise to Tier 3.

Kraun investigated the monster outbreak in Rhine City and traced the surrounding malice to Lucas, a Security Bureau investigator corrupted by an Obsidian Statue. He destroyed Lucas and shattered the statue, but the connection to the tavern incident remained uncertain.

• Kraun examined the monster and ordered the investigators to search the house for unusual objects, especially statues.
• Lorraine reported a rise in heretical sacrifices, and Kraun sensed the malice around him fade as Lucas left the tavern.
• Kraun learned Lucas had gone out, followed his scent to a nearby house, and found him disguised after devouring three people.
• Kraun exposed Lucas with Talisman Water and burned the transformed monster with Solar Flame Art.
• Kraun shattered the Obsidian Statue and poured Talisman Water over its fragments, then left with Harry unsure whether Lucas was tied to the tavern incident.

Kraun investigated the monsters that had replaced Lucas, helped coordinate a citywide operation, and learned that Rhine City would activate its protected Shelter Lands. He warned his sister’s family about the danger and left them with a steady supply of Talisman Water.

• Kraun told Lia and Lorraine that the missing Lucas had been replaced by a monster that could imitate human mental fluctuations, then helped Lia write a report.
• Kraun cleansed the psychic traces in the Nightingale Tavern, while the city’s forces killed seventeen monsters and uncovered fifty-four Cultists during a search.
• Fland explained that the Church, Council, and Brotherhood districts were protected Shelter Lands and that a new one would be built near the Spirit Ruins, while people outside them remained at risk.
• Kraun visited his sister and Rodney, learned that the Brotherhood had arranged a mansion for them, and gave them two vials of Talisman Water each month.

Kraun entered the Spirit Ruins with Fland’s expedition and explored the landscape as night transformed it into a dangerous, distorted place. After killing an eerie stag monster, he was ambushed by a shadow emerging from beneath a boulder.

• Fland led the explorers through the portal into the Spirit Ruins, where Feli and Rondo left teams behind to guard the entrance.
• When night fell, Kraun strengthened his defenses and watched the landscape turn twisted and hostile as the ruins’ laws changed.
• Kraun sensed an unseen presence stalking him, but his attempt to lure it into attacking failed.
• Kraun shot an eerie stag with arrows marked by Golden Light Talismans, blinding it and burning its Eye Flowers.
• Kraun severed the stag’s head with his sword, but a crack opened beneath the boulder and a black shadow pounced out at him.

Kraun killed a strange Black Shadow in the Spirit Ruins and discovered that the fight had greatly increased his Golden Light Incantation proficiency. After hearing about Kraun’s huge Crystal Core, Fland asked whether he would take charge of a parish.

• Kraun fought the Black Shadow with his sword, then defeated it with repeated Solar Flame Art attacks.
• The Black Shadow’s remains turned into gray sand and an egg-sized Crystal Core, and Kraun also collected a small Crystal Core and a strange tendon from an elk.
• Kraun left the Spirit Ruins with several Crystal Cores, ingredients, and over two thousand additional Golden Light Incantation proficiency points.
• Fland examined the egg-sized Crystal Core and explained that it could help power a Shelter Land a quarter the size of the Church District.
• After Kraun described the Black Shadow and showed him the gray sand, Fland asked whether he was interested in taking charge of a parish.

Kraun refused Fland’s offer to take charge of a diocese, but negotiated promised rewards for donating the Crystal Core. At home, he successfully made two Lunar Thunder Seals and began brewing the Molten Potion, producing his first successful batch after several failed attempts.

• Kraun told Fland he wanted to focus on improving his strength, and Fland explained the church’s plans to establish new Shelter Lands and urged him to donate the Crystal Core.
• Kraun asked what he would receive directly for donating the Crystal Core, and Fland offered to seek payment, a plot of land, and a ten-year tax exemption for his businesses.
• Kraun used Moon Radiance and Cold Jade to successfully draw two Lunar Thunder Seals.
• Kraun prepared to brew the Molten Potion, relying on his Herbalism knowledge to plan for difficult steps.
• Kraun’s first two attempts at brewing the Molten Potion failed, but his third and fifth attempts succeeded.

Kraun tested Molten Potion and found that it greatly improved his Flame Breath training, then continued caring for his pets. The next morning, he discovered that Fugin had lost all its feathers overnight.

• Kraun drank Molten Potion and gained ninety-one Flame Breath proficiency points after two hours of training.
• Kraun prepared Golden Light Talisman Water for his upcoming trade with the Warlock Brotherhood.
• Kraun's Golden Light Incantation replenished his energy during Visualization, and Fugin's Spirit Seed cracked and merged into its body.
• Kraun told Billy to give Fugin extra food, then went to sleep after checking his skill progress.
• The next morning, Billy told Kraun that Fugin had lost all its feathers, and Kraun found Bastet teasing the plucked crow.

Kraun oversaw Fugin and Bastet’s transformations into Transcendent pets, then addressed production and wages at the church’s Forging Workshop. He later negotiated with the Brotherhood for Spirit Familiars and potion ingredients, securing a possible supply of Lightning Potion ingredients.

• Kraun recognized that Fugin’s feather loss was part of its transformation and ordered Billy to feed it well and keep it caged away from Bastet.
• Three days later, Bastet’s Mental Power Germ cracked open, and both pets underwent strange physical changes as they entered Transcendence.
• At the Forging Workshop, Bru reported that Kraun’s method had accelerated production, while Andrea raised concerns about workers’ training and pay.
• Kraun promised the blacksmiths their full planned wages, offered them paid work producing metal ingots, and asked Del, Bru, and Andrea to develop a fairer wage system.
• Kraun met Feli and Lisa to trade potions and request Spirit Familiars; after learning the Brotherhood had no Tier 1 familiars in stock, he asked to buy ingredients for several potions.
• Feli offered to check the Brotherhood’s supply of Lightning Potion ingredients at five Gold Spirit Coins per batch, while explaining that the Brotherhood could not sell the other requested ingredients.

Feli explained why the Brotherhood could not privately trade for Kraun’s Golden Light Potions, while Fland arranged for Kraun to make enchanted weapons and shields for the Church. After receiving a Fire Spirit Familiar and Lightning Potion materials from Feli, Kraun tested whether Sunfire Liquid could weaken an Evil Spirit and then resumed Visualizing the Golden Light Incantation.

• In the carriage, Feli told Lisa that Kraun would not secretly trade potions without Fland’s approval because it would risk his standing in the Church.
• Fland ordered Kraun to make enchanted weapons and shields for the Church, including equipment for Bishop Daniel’s faction, and set higher prices for the other bishops and other buyers.
• Feli brought Fland a Fire Element Spirit Familiar and materials for twelve doses of Lightning Potion, and Fland paid her ninety Gold Spirit Coins.
• Fland told Kraun to forge four bishop-level shields and six standard shields, and Kraun agreed to finish them before the next Full Moon Night.
• Kraun doused a Fire Sprite Evil Spirit with Sunfire Liquid until it shrank and turned vivid red, then restored it to a container with the Brotherhood’s suppressing solution.
• Kraun Visualized the Golden Light Incantation while Fugin and Bastet sat beside him.

Kraun gave Del a purified Fire Element Spirit Familiar and tested its abilities, then used Sunfire Liquid and Sun Essence to purify his own Spirit Familiars. After strengthening the Fire Seed Cube and Time Hourglass, he brewed and drank a Lightning Potion, rapidly improving his Silver Fox Breathing Technique.

• Kraun gave Del the purified Fire Element Spirit Familiar, and Del awakened it without discomfort or signs of malice.
• Del demonstrated the Spirit Familiar's Fire Control, Fireball, and Burning Hand abilities, and Kraun ordered him to study Spirit Controllers and seek more Spirit Familiars from the Brotherhood.
• Kraun purified the Fire Seed Cube with Sunfire Liquid and Sun Essence, increasing Armor Condensation's physical resistance by around twenty percent.
• Kraun purified the Time Hourglass, improving Bullet Time to thirty-seven minutes and strengthening its other abilities.
• Kraun brewed a Lightning Potion, drank it, and practiced the Silver Fox Breathing Technique until its proficiency rose by 110 points.

Kraun managed Forging Workshop tasks, then agreed to provide his energy core for the Church’s new Shelter Land in exchange for influence and support, including a partnership with Nick and Fanny. After making strong progress in potion-making and cultivation, he prepared for the dangerous work of expanding into the wilderness.

• Kraun approved Andrea’s plan to train three promising blacksmiths and told Bru to buy more iron and copper ore.
• Nick and Fanny visited Kraun and explained that the Church planned to build new Shelter Lands using his high-quality energy core.
• Kraun agreed to provide the core and work with Nick and Fanny, who offered him a construction team and a 20,000 Gold Spirit Coin interest-free loan.
• Kraun learned he could recommend a Cardinal for the new Shelter Land, and Nick told him their wedding would take place in a month.
• Kraun brewed Molten and Lightning Potions, raising his Herbalism proficiency to Tier 4 and improving the Golden Light Incantation.
• Kraun drank a Lightning Potion and practiced the Silver Fox Breathing Technique to prepare for the Church’s expansion into monster territory.

Kraun reached the Limit with the Silver Fox Breathing Technique, increasing his basic speed, before attending a gathering where Flandre revealed that he had advanced to the Silver Rank. The Cardinals discussed the faster-approaching threats of the Evil Gods and the Gray Fog, while Flandre planned to return to the Holy See after a new Shelter Land was established.

• Kraun pushed his Silver Fox Breathing Technique to its Limit and permanently increased his basic speed by five percent.
• Del arrived with Harry, who summoned Kraun to a gathering of the Cardinals.
• Flandre emerged from a secret passage looking younger and taller, then announced that he had advanced to the Silver Rank.
• Flandre warned that his advancement signaled rising spiritual energy, a faster approach of the Divine Kingdom, and an increased threat from the Evil Gods.
• Cavendi questioned why the Gray Fog had reached Rhine City early, and Nick recounted how it appeared after cultists performed a ritual in the Andes Mountains.
• Flandre ordered troops to investigate the north and said he would return to the Holy See after a new Shelter Land was established.

Fland explained Silver Rank’s physical, spiritual, and soul-based advantages, then demonstrated the gulf between Silver Rank and the bishops in the Training Ground. Kraun tested himself against Fland and earned praise for his talent, while his suspicions about an evil god’s influence in Rhine City remained unresolved.

• Fland described how Silver Rank strengthened the body and soul, improved resistance to evil-god corruption, and offered a path toward Stigmata Gold.
• Kraun connected Silver Souls to his Golden Light Incantation and recalled the evil-god statue associated with Lucas, suspecting the god had long influenced Rhine City.
• Fland demonstrated his strength by overpowering Savachi with Avenger’s Shield and defeating Cavendi, Fanny, and Nick in the Training Ground.
• Kraun used several enhancements and fought Fland with a hammer and sword, but Fland still overwhelmed him physically.
• Fland praised Kraun’s talent and predicted that he would become stronger than Fland after reaching Silver Rank.

After his spar with the Cardinal, Kraun trained his Spirit Control Art by devouring Metal Essence and planned how to use his strength and resources in a new Shelter Land. He left the chapter preparing to establish the settlement at Hamus Mine and build its essential workshop and arsenal.

• Kraun recovered from his fight with the Cardinal, set training goals, and spent the afternoon devouring Refined Iron Essence, raising his Spirit Control Art proficiency to 1728/7000.
• Kraun gathered Del, William, and Melissa to discuss businesses for the new parish he would help oversee.
• Kraun revealed that the Shelter Land would be built at Hamus Mine, with a mountain castle, a mine entrance castle, and farmland, and that its core population would number twenty to thirty thousand.
• William and Melissa discussed planning businesses around the settlers and available capital, and Kraun said he had twenty thousand Gold Spirit Coins borrowed from the Sith Family.
• Kraun insisted that the settlement build a Forging Workshop and a small Arsenal, including fixed heavy weapons with an automatic firing program, and left the other business plans to the butlers.

Kraun planned how his businesses could support his larger goals, encouraged Del to train so he could reunite with Janice, and kept up his nightly cultivation. Meanwhile, Bastet and Fugin roamed the city and broke into a home where Alina’s possessed husband was attacking her; the chapter ended with the pets arriving as Alina and her children were in danger.

• Kraun asked William to research business opportunities, while Del said he would intensify his training after learning he could bring Janice to the New Parish.
• Melissa told William she was close to advancing to Tier 2 and had been promised training by Kraun, then left him to handle the research himself.
• Kraun refined Sun Essence and Visualized the Golden Light Incantation before Bastet and Fugin slipped out for their nightly roaming.
• A night patrol spotted Fugin carrying Bastet and discussed how animals had grown larger and more aggressive since the Gray Fog appeared.
• Bastet tracked a disturbance to Alina’s home, where Sumson had transformed into a snake-like creature and swallowed Alina’s feet as her children watched.
• Fugin smashed the window and Bastet entered the house just as Alina faced Sumson.

Kraun advanced his Spirit Control Art and strengthened his Alloy armor while Fland announced plans to establish two new Shelter Lands. The chapter ended with Kraun preparing to oversee the expansion at Hamus Mine and set up a blacksmith's shop.

• Bast and Fugin killed the Mutated Human, devoured a shadowy creature, and freed Alina before leaving the room.
• Lisa used a Golden Light Potion to suppress Flame Dancer's Evil Thoughts and planned to approach Kraun for more potions.
• Fland announced that he had reached Silver Rank and approved plans to build two Shelter Lands, assigning bishops, Crusaders, and equipment for each.
• Kraun told Lisa that he would be stationed near Hamus Mine, and Fland permitted him to trade extra potions for resources such as Mithril.
• A month later, Kraun attended Nick and Fanny's wedding, advanced his Spirit Control Art and Fire Seed Cube to Tier 3, and improved his Alloy armor.